Beneath These Ribs
by Alice Lanica
Summary: A poor junior highschool student, Raine Telmer, arrives in Japan with thoughts that she would be going on a school exchange for the semester. Those thoughts are turned into nightmares. But when her life is put on the line, a wordless gentleman comes to her aid and brings to her a world she never thought she could have. Could this be it? Reviews welcome!
1. Chapter 1

** - Chapter 1: A Kinder Fate - **

Her heart pumped below her ribs, matching her feet step for step. Yet, the sound was washed away by the passing cars in the distance. Their wheels slipping past the small puddles left over by the afternoon rain. The smell would have been refreshing to Raine, had it not been dirtied by the trash in the backstreets that she wandered through. It was a dangerous place for such a young woman at night; however, some things in life made safety simply impossible. And those things would only come later, after she figured out what that strange noise was.

'Footsteps?' Raine's mind echoed. She could hear the soft taps of rubber against pavement. First she tried to see if the sound matched her own feet. It would be a lie to say that the young woman had never scared herself with her own walking; however, within a few seconds, that thought was unfortunately squashed when there was a misstep from her own and the noise. Someone was behind her. She tried to remain calm but the fast-paced beating of her heart couldn't let her shake the feeling of impending doom. Then, with a quick gulp of air, Raine took off running. The thumping in her chest grew larger, as did the footsteps behind her. This was Raine's worst nightmare: alone in the dark, chased by a stranger, and blocks from home.

She had to find the main streets. There were people on the streets, even at this hour, that could at least make this assumed attacker wary enough to give it up. Yet, even after two sharp turns right and quick left, there were no main streets in sight, no other person around and no end to the stomping steps behind. The young woman was in a panic. She knew not what to do. Her life was on the line and all she could think of was 'Why, God, why?'. Her eyes had already began to tear up as the dim lights from the tall generic buildings above barely lit the dark street she was on. Raine found a small door and rushed at it. Her hand taking onto the locked doorknob as she banged on the red painted steel. Her voice screeching, "Help! Please help!" She didn't stay there for long for she could hear the person coming. Scrambling through her thoughts the woman begged God to save her and give her a way out. Yet, as her mind blurred with pleas, her foot caught onto a rip in the paved road and she went sprawling. Her knees and elbows skinned against the ground. It was then that the footsteps stopped.

There was no voice, only a cold silence between heaving breaths. The woman tried to drag herself away as the ground scratched her bare skin. Between her sobs came cries of mercy, pleading for the stranger to let her go. Yet, all she was received were the sound of the person's steps as they closed in on her. A large hand griped her upper arm and pulled her onto her feet. Soon followed a sickening thick voice that commanded her to go forward. With tears falling down her cheeks, the woman obliged. She thought of ways to get out of this, and she tried for an elbow to his neck. However, he took it with easy and returned with a punch on the side of her face. The woman withered with a cry as he pressed her back against one of the brick walls. "Stop. Just let me go." Raine begged as she squirmed. The man told her to shut up and gave another hit to the eye. The woman couldn't let things end here. She had more fight than that. So, to her regret, the young woman threw a knee at his soft spot. It pained him, but more than anything drove him to anger. Raine saw a flash of silver before she felt a sharp pain her gut. She screamed in response. It was a knife, she knew it was. 'This is where I die. In this dirty, horrible place is where I die.' Her mind flashed back to her parents as she tried to break her mind from the attacker who sent a stab to her shoulder and then began to fiddle with the her belt.

_-Meanwhile-_

The Host Club had found themselves returning from their movie theme night, a new idea cooked up by Tamaki so he could receive the red carpet entrance he had always longed for. That night, although long, had blessed them with screaming fan girls snapping endless pictures of them strutting through the theater door. Most had embraced the night and enjoyed a small film created by the Club; however, the night had not yet ended. Their gentlemanly jobs not yet complete.

The limo containing the Club had, again, taken to Tamaki's wishes – which this time meant to stop at a fast food restaurant typically visited by commoners. The group had pushed through the dark vehicle with playful insults and banter. Most happy the night was done, and others around to just comment on what they should do for their next theme party. The band - of what appeared to be all men - had pushed their way into the line before stopping at the check-out, still unsure of what to get. The twins had sworn they'd get sick from this place, no matter what they got, while Tamaki had briefly scolded them while praising Haruhi's native world. But before even ordering, Mori started to act seemed more distracted as the group did their normal shenanigans while muttering over what to order. But, before any had made up their mind, the tall quiet figure went out sprinting from the buildling.

His long legs took him from the well-lit street into the gloomy places on the night. He could still hear it, that sound of crying and begging. He had to follow it. Yet, the young man had not been so foolish as Raine had seemed. Behind him lagged company that, for better or worse, would follow him to the ends of the earth. Some of them cried out after him; however, these fell upon seemingly deaf ears as Mori kept running. With time, he reached the disturbance.

He could see a larger burly man overpowering a lady. Her form covered in blood, dirt and tears. Her lips were squeezing out helpless cries and wincing from something that was lodged in her shoulder. Without taking a second thought, the well-built man threw a punch the back of the strange man's head. Before the horrid man could even fully look back to see who it was, he felt another hit to the face. Some would describe it death incarnated, but others would simply call him "Honey". Raine would have considered this ironic had her mind not still been shattered by the attack and, with the man's pressure removed from her limp form, has fallen onto the ground. Her hands gripping onto her shoulders as she buried her head into her arms. Raine could hear the sound of more beating but that simply slipped into her unconsciousness. She was just trying to silence everything. The woman couldn't even pull herself to look up as two arms wrapped their way around her body. She just shook her head and cried, "No more. Don't..." She couldn't form any more audible words between her sobs. Yet, in the background rose a peaceful silence. Had it been death or simply the calmness she had prayed for, Raine knew not. All she knew was that tonight was over for her as the world just slipped into blackness.

**Note:** This story is taking place near the the 5th manga volume...


	2. Chapter 2

**- Chapter 2: A Strange Awakening - **

There was a white light. Her blue eyes blinked in haste as the woman tried to see the world around. Such brightness would have been more troublesome if it was the only thing on her mind but there was something else pinching on the edge of her consciousness It was a new strange pressure. As the distracting white dots cleared from her vision soon came the outline of a figure. It was a man, a handsome one at that, sitting by her beside. His skin a lovely ivory and his hair was jet black, which matched his eyes in perfection. He had a strong chin, one that confirmed his glorious manly stature. In her starry eyes, he was the pinnacle of God's miracles.

Raine blinked and looked away as if embarrassed. She knew it rude to stare, but he was just temptation itself. Still, with a planned cough with her hand over her mouth, the woman tried to reset herself and shift the strange mood. As the cough rang, she felt a stinging pain to her lower torso. It caused her to wince and make a rather unappealing face. But, with time came her voice, "So, um, hi." It was crude, but that was Raine. "Who, er, where am I?" The young girl looked back to the man as nervousness overcame her. She could feel herself growing stiff and awkward. Remembering last night sent horrors to the center of her mind, but she couldn't let this gentleman see her pain. Raine was thankful for her rescue, that was certain, but victims can never empty their fear of an attack so quickly. She had known that it could have been worse, hell, it was moving to get worse, but what was already done was horrid enough. No one deserved to be treated like such prey. But all those terrible thoughts fell behind a simple awkward smile, which grew even more awkward as she was simply met by silence.

"Are you a mute?" Raine asked, trying to sit up. A tug was felt again on her lower half, which she assumed to have been the stitches. Not only did her saviour keep her from worse fates; they had also brought her to a hospital. While however kind, this would spark a whole new problem for the young maiden. Medicine was expensive and money was something she didn't have. 'Perhaps I should have just died?' The thought sent her mind for a whirl before she pulled herself back into proper thinking that no matter however desperate things got, life was something worth holding onto. The inner turmoil was silenced when a new touch was thrown into her world. Looking down, she could see the man's two broad hands gripping onto the hospital blanket and tenderly tried to push her back down against the back of the bed. When Raine didn't take his subtle hint, a quiet yet strong voice tumbled out, "Relax."

The woman took a brief moment to stare him in the face rather confused before following his instructions with some reluctance. "So, you're not a mute. Just...not talkative?" The wounded woman asked, still squinting at him. Yet, no answer came. "Or maybe you just don't like talking. But does that mean you don't like talking to me, or just people in general?" More silence. "What goes on in that mind of yours, silent man? You're not some perv, are you?" Again, she shot him a glare as she tried to reposition herself in the bed. There would have been silence, if the door to the room hadn't click open.

"Boys, she's awake!" Came a call out the door before a form came tiptoeing in. The boy was blonde hair, and again, a flawless appearance. It was as if the woman had died and found herself amidst the gods. Soon came a crowed of men: a cute short blonde boy, two dastardly handsome twins, a scrawny brown haired boy and a tall black haired gentleman that held a clipboard in his hands. All Raine could do was blush and murmur, "uh, hey..." It would appear that her red glow was obvious for one of the two twins decided to say, "Looks like she still has enough blood to blush." The other nodded and shrugged, "I guess this means our funeral theme is cancelled." The tall blonde seemed to snap back, "I thought that suggestion was hypothetical, not an actual corpse. That's repulsive!" The two twins just slyly smiled back.

Just when the babbling was about to begin again, a solemn voice rose, "Well then, how about we introduce ourselves," it was the clipboard man. "I'm Kyoya, the twins are Hikaru and Kaoru, our cute member is Honey, the one sitting beside you is Mori, then there is Haruhi and the flamboyant blonde is Tamaki, our _King_." He had listed them off and motioned to each in turn, which followed with a small wave or 'hello', except for the last who appeared to pose on the spot and give her a wink. It was...strange.

When Raine was about to introduce herself, Kyoya spoke again, "Host Club, this is Raine Telmer, from Canada. A junior in highschool and apparently missing." The last word slipped off his silver tongue with distain as his dark eyes flashed to hers – yet, there was no emotion to be found in those eyes. Thankfully, the one they named Tamaki broke the silence, "Missing? So we found a missing damsel in distress?" The man brought a fist out before him in triumph as a smug grin fell upon his perfect lips, "Charm, beauty and detectives! We are the ultimate gentlemen!" The rest just appeared to sigh at this.

First answer to come was from the twins, "Well, we've had enough. Time to get back to the school." They both lazily waved goodbye before leaving out the door. The blonde fellow followed rather frustrated as he called back, "Where are you going? This maiden needs our help!" They didn't seem to answer and none of those three gentlemen came back through. Soon the little blonde one followed out, pulling the hand of the tall dark one while saying, "C'mon, it's time for cake!" The tall quiet man looked back once, his face void of all emotion, but it was enough to give Raine that feeling that perhaps something was under that mask of dark hair. The second last to leave was the seemingly awkward brown haired boy. He didn't really say much past a quick goodbye and shuffled out as quickly as possible. That left her and Mr. Clipboard.

"So, who do I owe?" She said, her face finally returning to normal with another nervous grin. That was when the mood in the room changed. The figure before her appeared devious in a heartless type manner. "Me." There was a pause as Raine began to collect her thoughts, but the silence didn't last. "Yes, Miss Telmer. My family owns this hospital and you managed to need enough care that a resident of this country would be concerned for their finances. So how is a missing teen without a working visa going to pay for it?"


	3. Chapter 3

**- Chapter 3: A Deal with the Devil -**

_"Yes, Miss Telmer. My family owns this hospital and you managed to need enough care that a resident of this country would be concerned for their finances. So how is a missing teen without a working visa going to pay for it?"_

The girl looked at the man, her mind wrestling with how to handle this. Joking about how sexual that sounded was one way, however judging by his face, that may not be the best choice. Instead she bit her bottom lip and stumbled onto a few words, "I, I work if that's what you mean. Not for much, but like you said 'no working visa', so...I do what I can." She paused, "Or what I'm 'willing' to do." The man simply looked at her, again, with distain and judgement. It was as if she committed some ultimate sin and had to beg, hand and foot, to be forgiven. Upon further contemplation, Raine found that perhaps her reply could be taken in a rather inappropriate light. While that hadn't been her intention, it more justified why this rich boy would appear to judge her so. 'Oh well.'

"I hate to inform you, but records show you have failed to even obtain a residence." He looked down to the woman, both literally and figuratively, "You seem to have nothing, financially, to offer me." It was true: Raine hadn't – legally – been enlisted in a home nor a job. There were reasons for that, however shameful she felt about it. But those could come later.

"What are you hinting at? I hope you're more cryptic than you appear." The woman murmured with one brow raised. Things were appearing to lead into a very dark topic, one in which she had just escaped the night before. Her life could not be so horrid as to be saved but had to still pay the same price. It wasn't worth it.

The man surprised her with his next words, "Our club needs a maid. Our current worker has been too preoccupied with his increase in clients. You will work until you pay off your debt. Deal?" While still cold, Raine saw a glimmer of hope in this relationship. Doubt still rung in her mind, and it appeared as if this would be an uphill battle; however, out of all her options, this was the best one yet. "Deal."

With haste, the man listed off the rules in which she would have to obey and the expectations of her work. They seemed painfully strict. The most important one was that she could never be seen by their clients. Other typical rules followed such as cleaning before and after club operations, keeping the place well stalked, and maintaining a well groomed appearance for the job - just in case the first rule was broken. Every mistake she made, more debt would be added. The only thing going through Raine's mind was that this job would probably kill her, and if it didn't kill her, she would die of old age still as their maid. Both options were unappealing.

In parting, he would give her three days to recover and leave behind her work outfit that she was expected to keep pristine for every day. It was the tacky black and white outfit - which if Raine had known the club better, would have guessed that it was Tamaki's idea. Either way, this would be her fate. Sealed with a signed contract, one other matter came into the discussion. In all honestly, it surprised the young student, leaving her to question how in the world he could know. "If you work hard enough, I may even shut down that company that stranded you here." It was said with a sly smile until he disappeared out the door.

_-Later –_

The three days had passed and Raine was well enough to move about. Her stitches, although somewhat tender, were in no danger of being split open. It made getting dressed into her rather questionable outfit much easier than expected. Although she would never admit it, the outfit didn't look that bad. The lines hugged her curves in the right way, and even fit her larger bust. It was a rather wonderful surprise. Even though she had to get up at four in the morning to make it to the school before any of the customers came in, she was feeling lighthearted. In truth, this was the most exciting experience she had since coming to here. She would be going to a real highschool in Japan; although, not in the way she had originally intended. Still, it was a step closer. And with these positive thoughts whirling through her head, the girl left her temporary home and ventured into the world.

Around an hour later, she arrived at the school. In summary, it was immaculate. She thought it was more of a castle than a school. It even paled in comparison to what she thought Hogwarts would look like in real life...which was saying something for Raine. It left her motionless in the middle of the school path. Even just to adventure through those halls would be a memory she could treasure.

Footsteps came from behind her. It made Raine jump and turned around. To her thanks, her sight fell upon a familiar face. One that made her cheeks turn red. Mori, they called him. "Oh, it's you. This place is amazing. This is where you guys go?" Her attention went back onto the building, "I would kill to go here. Like honestly murder with my bare hands. It's absolutely incredible." She paused and stared again at the shimmering building. She had expected some answer to come, but there was none. It would seem that his silence took over again. "I guess the appearance is half the package though, eh? It really depends if you like anyone else that goes here. Not in the 'like-like' way, well...actually maybe in that way. But you get what I'm saying, right? And as I watch that conversation crash and burn, what is your club all about anyways? It sounded like a rich harem...Not that I have any problem with that. I just want to know what 'messes' I'll be cleaning up. I wasn't exactly prepped about what to expect." It would appear that she failed to cause anything to really stir in the young man. He appeared to just accept her talking as meaningful as a bird's chirp in the early morn. "Anyways, I should probably head inside. Not much cleaning to be done here, eh quiet man?" Raine sent him a smile.

"We talk and dress up to entertain women." To the girl's surprise, the answer came. And while she tried to suppress her laughter, it still came out with her answer, "You must look pretty good in those outfits then." Her eyes caught with his. They were kind eyes, compassionate even. It made her wonder what else was going on behind them. That was until her own mind started to run through what he would look like in an array of things, mostly covered in oil. It was a nice idea, but one that would be swatted away for time was ticking and she had a job to do. "Well, I gotta get started. See you around." With a wave, she left the man.

Raine fought the need to look back to see if he was watching until she was fully in the building. By the time she was inside and able to hide behind the glass, the man had disappeared, obviously not caring to watch her leave. It was disappointing. "Still," She murmured under her breath, "what was he doing here at this time?"


	4. Chapter 4

**- Chapter 4: A Pillowcase and a Pin -**

As expected, the room was breathtaking. Its decor could be described as classical. There were several sets of chairs and tables, slightly worn by use but very lovely. A few sofas were turned to face each other and several pieces of art laid on ivory stands. Even just breathing in this room made Raine nervous. Breaking anything could mean more debt and that was something she needed to avoid - especially with the potential promise of getting her revenge. Raine had been tricked and thrown away. In her mind, it wasn't enough to have the company shut down. Raine would much rather a more severe punishment like the death sentence; but, that was only because this whole affair had made her a very bitter individual.

The young woman shuffled across the ground as she moved to a door on the far side. Raine had been briefed about it slightly; yet, she was not ready for what would be found behind it. Informally she would call it "propmania" since every inch of the closet was cloaked in costumes and props. As a child, this would have been her dream. As a teenage, perhaps it was closer to a nightmare. She would have to clean and prepare all these outfits and dust the props regularly. Even now she had to ready the gladiator sets for today – which took longer than liked to even find. Once found, the accessories were buffed and shined, making their laurels shimmer. The sandals were spotless. And, with the right timing, the outfits were washed and dried so that the togas would be warm when the boys put them on. After laying out the outfits carefully, Raine inspected her work. Then there were footsteps by the door.

With quick feet, the girl hid herself in the far side of the room. Her hands tucked together in front of her thighs as her cheeks began to blush. This was her first day and would set the stage for several others. It was this thought that held her together when the door opened the boys spilled in. The twins were picking on the small brown haired one, leaning their elbows on him and whispering with sly grins. Honey was as darling as ever, shuffling forward with a pink rabbit in his arm. 'Isn't he too old for that?' Raine wondered while trying to keep the thought from her features. The taller blonde came bounding in, talking about their plans for the day and how amazing it will be before hustling over to Haruhi to push off the twins and bother him as well. There was something odd about that brown haired boy, but she couldn't name it. He didn't match the group as blatantly as the others appeared to. He just appeared so, well, bland in comparison. Perhaps some women just didn't enjoy excitement or wished for a more usual individual. But, when Kyoya entered the room, all those thoughts went silent.

Most of the males had ignored her presence and went straight to the costumes. It made her feel slightly rejected but it was better than ridicule. That was until Kyoya decided to make his way over to her in a B-line. "I see you failed to prepare the tables properly. It was red linens today as listed in the prop room." He sighed quietly and pressed his thumb and forefinger against his temple. He was barely heard over the rest of the men who were jeering behind them. Even while she knew the boys couldn't hear the lecture, Raine filled with shame. She wished to look down; however, it would seem disrespectful so she fought through her embarrassment and maintained eye contact. After one or two more comments, the boy finally admitted, "Considering this is your first day, I will accept this meritocracy. I expect an improvement tomorrow. But hide yourself away, the clients are coming." Raine just nodded. And then, as if a switch went off in his head, Kyoya turned to face the group and his face lit up in a smug grin. Upset to content in less than seconds. It would have been more wondrous to Raine had her mind not sank into his reprimands. Instead she just hung her head. As the young student was about to pull herself away to the prop closet, a small voice picked up before her.

"Um, maid lady. Can you snap this for me?" The woman's attention was picked up by Honey. His large eyes begging her in a childish way to help. She managed a small smile, "Sure." The snap wasn't very hard, it was just above his shoulder. Part of her wondered why he even needed help with it. The other part wondered why he chose her to help. Either way, it was a nice gesture even though her face was still flushed. Pulling herself back, the older boy answered, "Thanks! Um, can Bun-Bun get a toga too?" Raine blinked for a brief moment before smiling, "Of course. Let me see what I can do."

The girl knew that the clients were coming; however, some things had to get done. She would hide in the prop closet if she had to, which was where she was currently headed. Her hands scrambled through the materials until she found, strangely enough, a white pillow case. The closet had a small sewing kit which held a few safety pins. After living on her own for a few months Raine had a bit of a knack for these fix jobs. Her current skill came into true form when she hustled back to Honey, craftily draped the case around the stuff doll and pinned the pillow case to itself so that it resembled Honey's toga. The boy lit up, "Thank you!" before his little legs carried him back to where the group were posing. Watching him run off, she could see two things. The first was Kyoya glaring at her to hide herself. The other was Mori. His dark eyes were on her, and only her. It made those horrid comments wash away. Still, the look would not stop Raine from basically running to the closet and shutting the door as soon as the music doors sounded open.


	5. Chapter 5

**- Chapter 5: Panic -**

Behind the door of the prop room closet, Raine took a moment to rest. "Well, at least I'm not fired, right?" She breathed while pressed against the door. She could hear the chatter of young women erupt on the other side. Most wooed by the godly males and trying to find their own way into their hearts. It was moments like these that made Raine question her opinion of other women. Just playing into men's hands like this was almost embarrassing. On the other hand, she wasn't sure how she felt about the men playing them either. Still, she had to give credit to them: they were good. Just the amount of women that sounded to have come was over whelming enough. The fact that this was a daily thing made it even more amazing. When the initial interest of Raine to hear the ongoing events subsided, she was left to pick apart the room.

Taking a brief look around, it was obvious that it was ill-maintained. Most things had been thrown in piles that perhaps may have had a purpose, but for the moment just looked like someone's dirty laundry. Other props were in mismatching arrangements, like fine china found right beside fireworks beside free weights. It made little sense and pushed Raine into a bit of grief when she considered how to handle it. Making a mental map in her head, the room began to take shape. She started near the door on the right side. Her hands siphoned through princely garments and cavemen ones, pushing them into two different boxes lying around. Through the mess and havoc she had managed to find a black marker and scribbled on the containers what was in them. She got through one pile and a half before she noticed the roaring on the other side of the room had ended. Turning to face the door, Raine noticed something unusual: the door was open.

The first thought was panic. If one of their clients had come in, Raine was done. She would have broken the most important rule on the first day. Her mind then went through all the extreme measures Kyoya would go through to punish her, such as starvation and whipping. After seeing those soulless eyes, Raine felt she was capable of it. She was about to slip into greater imaginative consequences when she was distracted by something that had almost caused her to have a heart attack: a figure had jumped out at her from within one of the piles.

Again, the first thought was panic. She would have screamed had she not found a hand onto of her mouth, muffling her cries. With arms flailing, she tried to ward off her attacker. This stopped when she noticed who was on top of her. "Mumph?" She murmured through his hand, before he withdrew it, "Hikaru?" The boy smugly grinned, "No, Kaoru." The other twin popped out from behind the opened door, "Gotcha." Raine was absolutely bewildered by them as she sarcastically replied, "So, you two see nothing wrong with pouncing at a girl who was recently brutally attacked? That's kind of you." The boys just looked to one another and said in unison while shrugging, "Fair game."

With a furrowed brow, Raine just shook her head. Her hands pressed against the twin's shoulders to make him slide off to one side. "We shall see." The two boys wore obnoxious grins and slightly giggled before disappearing back into the main room. They didn't, however, forget to take their costumes and throw them at Raine before making a swift getaway out of the music room. It inspired a sigh from Raine as well as a disappointed headshake. Rising from her place, she collected the costumes and found another cardboard box to put today's outfits in. Peaking out of the closet to make sure the room was empty, the girl was able to find all the costume pieces and return them to their proper box before another figure caught her attention. It was Tamaki.

"Oh, hello..." She paused for a brief moment before recalling the term Kyoya had used to refer to him earlier as, "King." Again, another awkward pause slipped by before she added, "I don't really mean to be a bother, but are you done with your costume yet? I was just cleaning up so, yeah." For a brief moment she felt like she with Mori again for it was quiet. The taller boy was staring outside the large window. Something seemed to trouble him; however, it did not last long. Tamaki pulled his attention to meet with Raine's and a small, modest smile fell onto his features. It seemed unusually calm compared to their introduction. That changed when he hurried towards her and bowed, "I apologize for my tardiness. I was distracted. And let me, King of the Host Club, welcome you into our service! This club seems to have more girls working for us all the time." The boy laughed but it left Raine with only questions, "More girls? What other girls are here? I mean, working, for you?" Tamaki seemed to be stuck in thought for a moment until, strangely enough, he disappeared into a corner to sulk. Under his breath hissed regrets and failure. Raine had never met someone so inconstant.

"Um, King, are you bipolar? You're, well, you're a little unpredictable." The girl tried to tiptoe over to the man who kept in the fetal position. When she was able to get close enough to touch him, Raine rubbed his shoulder and said, "It's okay. It's okay. I didn't hear a thing, okay? I'm the only girl here. Got it." Her reassurance seemed to help slightly, or more than slightly for Tamaki bounced back up in a moment's notice with a welcoming smile. "You'll find out anyhow. One of our members, my love, is a girl. But shush. Don't say anything! You mustn't! You can't!" He gave her a serious look, which, after Raine's promise, fell back into a smile. "Good. I'll see you around! Tomorrow!" The boy sent her a wink before disappearing for a moment. While Raine tried to place him, he entered back into the room awkwardly before giving her his set of the costume. "Again, tomorrow." He grinned and left.

After the costumes were collected and the room, after two hours of cleaning, was spotless, Raine prepared herself for home. While however strange the first day had been, it was nothing compared to the many days left ahead for her. All she had to do was wait.


	6. Chapter 6

**- Chapter 6: An Apology -**

The next week would pass by without incident. Each day, the critique list got smaller and smaller. She almost even dragged out a compliment from Kyoya – almost that is. The twins had pranked her once more that week. Tamaki was never caught in his mellow mood again and Haruhi was still a mystery. Her thoughts about the female member began to cloud her mind on the hours off. Considering he said it was one member, Raine had crossed off the twins. She didn't think it was the tall members either, so that made Kyoya and Mori safe. If Tamaki said it, she didn't think it would be him. The only two left was Haruhi and Honey. Either one seemed possible to her, even though her mind had considered the little blonde more. His small stature and apparent need for guardian made the girl suspicious. Yet, there was no blunt way she could find out so she just let her mind sit and wonder about it. Then, on the Friday, a new development arose.

"A trip? Does this add to my debt?" Raine asked Kyoya with a rather suspicious look. He leaned against the closet wall before pushing up the bridge of his glasses. Raine had found herself on the ground, finishing up the last pile of costumes. If she had her way, she would have moved to sorting out the shelves containing all the props next; however, his next words would erase any other thoughts from her mind: "No, you can pay off some of your debt this way. A large sum actually. You see, Tamaki has decided it would be fun to stay in a haunted mansion for a night. I've decided that we will record our reactions while staying in the house to sell to our clients. Problem is, no housekeeping is willing to go into this house so we're bringing you." He paused and pulled himself over to the door. "We're leaving after class, so be ready. Oh, and if nothing happens, you'll have a new job too." Raine glared at him, "A new job?" Kyoya grinned, "You'll have to haunt them. These videos would make a profit and I want ensure they're amusing. That's all, so get ready." He was about to leave before the girl called after him, "What about my stuff? My clothes?" He looked back once to say, "Taken care of. Who do you think I am? Some commoner?" And that was it. He left. Raine would move onto the props and, when the time came, be shipped off into the back of a limo.

In all honesty, Raine had never been in a limo. The fact that Kyoya had let her travel with the boys was amazing. But, being the heavy packers they all were, it would appear that each boy had their own car. Raine had ended up in Mori's. It was a three hour drive and she was stuck with the most silent company ever. While her crush still existed, the girl wasn't sure this was worth it.

"So, Mori, do you believe in ghosts?" Her eyes flickered to the boy who didn't answer past a mild headshake. She may as well take this time to talk about herself, "I mean, I don't. Who says souls even exist, right? It could just be brain activity. But I still have faith. I guess I'm in that awkward stage of trying to get science to apply to faith. Um, that's not crazy, right? Some things fit really well, others, well, it's a little harder." The boy, in turn, just looked to her. She couldn't resist those eyes. Had she not been bound by contract to be a servant of these men, Raine would have pounced at him kissing every inch of that heavenly body. She had to distract herself. Her first idea fell upon something that had been nagging at her for a while, "But there is something that I should probably ask you. Well, actually, I should probably thank you. It was you who saved me, right? That was really brave. And don't take me wrong, I'm thankful and everything, but why?"

To her amazement, this question actually brought words from those thin lips, "You were crying." His kind eyes spewed compassion. He really was a modern day knight. Even so, this was too simple an answer for her, "So, that's all it takes? Cry and you'll be there, eh?" She looked at him with a little less faith in her eyes. "There has to be something more. Not every day young men run into danger to save a stranger." No answer came. She let the silence sink in for a moment while the two stared at one another. Raine wished she could say that the silence only lasted a few seconds; however, it didn't. The quiet lasted so long that it rose from awkward to peaceful. It was a calm she recognized from the dreadful night and, contrary to her own thoughts, she enjoyed it. The silence lasted from minutes to an hour, both of which had lost interest in looking at one another and had started to look outside.

The trip would continue mostly in this fashion, except for one instant that Mori actually spoke up, "I'm sorry." It surprised the girl who would immediately turned to him with wide eyes. "What? For what?" The boy went silent again, his face still watching the items passing them on the road. Raine was half sure she wouldn't receive a reply back. But then it came, "For not getting their sooner." The girl furrowed her brow at him but didn't make a response. That was a factor she had never even considered. While she had thought about the alternative of death, never once did she blame him for not coming sooner. That was never a fault he made. In turn, Raine softly laid a hand on his hand. Her face wore a soft grin as to say that it was okay. After bringing her hands back onto her lap, all events ceased until arriving at the house.


	7. Chapter 7

**- Chapter 7: Common Company -**

When their destination came into full view, Raine was almost surprised. The so-called mansion was more of a castle by size and had a few stone gargoyles. The forestry was overgrown and had creeping ivy that covered a quarter of the building. Through the dusty windows, dark red curtains could be seen ripped and torn .'Still,' Raine thought, 'it's nicer than my place.' Moving from her seat, the girl watched as Mori followed soon after. It was becoming apparent that her knight had come to her rescue on that fateful night because of his innate need to protect instead of any feelings of attraction she may have hoped for. It was something she was coming to accept.

The rest of the unusual crew tumbled into the open, each as lively as ever. "You're actually making us stay here?" One of the twins murmured with a look of disgust on his face. The other twin replied, "Don't worry, Hikaru. Think of all the trouble we can get into in those dark halls." Both looked over to their maid and wore sly smiles on their lips. Catching them from the corner of her eye, Raine could sense their minds full of mischief. It inspired a feeling of dread which was replaced with excitement. Even if there was a ghost in this hell hole, she had decided to try and scare them. It would be her best opportunity. A small smirk rose up; however, that was almost immediately dashed. "Stop smiling, Telmer. You have a job to do." It was Kyouya. "Sorry sir, I'll get right to it."

Raine would be the first to enter. Her hands holding onto a small box filled with cleaning materials. The boys had stayed behind to prepare themselves for filming, allowing for the girl to go alone into the rumoured haunted house. While typically logic, Raine couldn't help but find the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Her feet swiftly shuffling forward as she dashed for any source of light. The day was growing dark which meant haunting time was about. While Raine didn't believe in ghosts, it didn't mean that she lacked a vivid imagination which would be made much worse by darkness. Her nervous hands had hit an old switch that had turned on a flickering light in the hall. It wasn't exactly comforting. With speed, she examined the house over, cleaning up small issues that would arise while trying to keep the place in a state appropriate for a 'creepy' mansion.

After going through all the rooms and becoming covered in dust, Raine had called it a day. The outside world was now pitch black and the men were finally able to get their head cameras working. Not trusting their little maid with camera work, they had hired some professional to carry an extra camera with them and tape the on goings in the dark. This didn't bother Raine much, past the older man's perverted hint to catch a date with her. While internally horrified, she let him down easy before gallivanting away to another room in the large mansion. Quickly she turned a nob and hid behind the door as it shut. This, however, would be her first step in finding out the secrets of this very strange club she worked for.

"Oh! Sorry! Sorry!" Raine immediately cried as she took in a flash of flesh. Her hand has quickly risen to her face to hide both her eyes and her red blush. Recalling what she had seen, the maid had gotten a little curious. She could remember the back of a bra strap. 'There's a woman? _Ohhh_.' It was her. This was the woman Tamaki had hinted at. The person was too tall to be Honey, but who else could it that be? Hearing a voice respond, Raine knew.

"Haruhi, again, I'm so sorry. Please don't tell Kyouya, okay? I was running from the old geezer with the camera." Peeling her hands away from her face, she met up with a mild smile on the brunette's face. "I guess that's nothing compared to having to run from the school girls, eh?" Raine smiled in turn before Haruhi gave the quiet shrug, "Yeah." One couldn't exactly consider this cross dresser much of a talker. That would be left up to Raine, "Um, I should probably leave you. The shirt looks good though." The maid had turned back to the door before hesitantly raising her voice again, "Uh, Haruhi, just a question. I don't mean to be rude but...why? I understand the whole gender identity thing and I won't judge, I just...I'm curious." Her eyes turned to the girl she served and again, was met with a smile. This time, however, it would melt into a small laugh, "Gender identity? Not exactly. I have a debt like you, but looks like you got the easy option." The smile would calm down to a modest grin before adding, "I won't tell Kyouya. I've been there and done that. Good luck, Raine." The maid smiled back, "You too." The two smiled, understanding one another for the first time before Raine slipped out the door and back into the darkness.

She was in a rather good mood until that was interrupted by something grabbing her ankle. In turn, she shrieked and jumped. The duster in her hand turned into a weapon as she slashed and hacked at her legs desperate to escape. Instead of relief, Raine felt shame for she heard that all too familiar laughter. "Thanks boys." She murmured angrily before marching out on the twins that still were roaring with laughter. She could hear one of them call "Again, again!" in the background. The only comfort she found was in walking quicker. Her mind had roamed over her revenge but all those devious plans could only begin when the official taping session had. Those events, thankfully, would come swiftly in the next few hours and this girl could barely wait.


End file.
